5.4 The Second Agricultural Revolution

The AMSCO textbook states, "The Second Agricultural Revolution, which began in the 1700s, used the advances of the Industrial Revolution to increase food supplies and support population growth. Agriculture benefited from mechanization and improved knowledge of fertilizers, soils, and selective breeding practices for plants and animals."

"Brittanica" states, "The second phase of the local agricultural revolution was even more important and had an impact over a wide area of the tropical world. A type of cereal farming based on wild seed of the millet and sorghum families was first developed in the northern savanna. Millet farming became particularly successful in the tropics because, unlike wheat and barley, it did not require the long daylight hours of summer that occur in the temperate climes. Tropical cereals spread from Central Africa not only into West Africa but also eastward to India and eventually southward to Southern Africa" (The agricultural revolution).

Rural Population Percentage: South Africa's current rural population percentage is 32.15 percent. "The Global Economy" states, "For that indicator, we provide data for South Africa from 1960 to 2021. The average value for South Africa during that period was 45.73 percent with a minimum of 32.15 percent in 2021 and a maximum of 53.38 percent in 1960. The latest value from 2021 is 32.15 percent. For comparison, the world average in 2021 based on 195 countries is 39.21 percent. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time" (South Africa: Rural population, percent).